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Salted Caramel Frosting Recipe (5 Elements)

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Constituted of simply 5 elements, this salted caramel frosting is fudge-like, wealthy, and buttery. It’s every thing you’re keen on in regards to the taste of home made salted caramel—in frosting type! Take pleasure in it piped onto apple cupcakes, unfold over banana cake, or sandwiched between two butter pecan cookies. Comply with my step-by-step directions, success ideas, and video tutorial for greatest outcomes.

cupcake with piped salted caramel frosting on top.

Creamy and fudge-like, with an irresistible salty-sweet-buttery taste, that is the frosting that each one desserts are begging for. (I’m fairly certain all desserts would style epic below a blanket of these things.)

Not the Quickest Frosting, However Actually the Tastiest

If you wish to do this frosting, be warned that it’s not an easy, fast course of. Now that I’m scaring you away, let me again up and clarify.

There are two fundamental steps on this recipe: (1) Cook dinner a brown sugar caramel on the range, after which let it cool for 20 minutes. (2) Beat in sifted confectioners’ sugar and somewhat heavy cream or milk to skinny out.

You should use the frosting instantly, however it will likely be fairly runny—pourable consistency, actually. Or in case you wait not less than 20–half-hour, the frosting might be thick sufficient to pipe.

apple cupcakes topped with salted caramel frosting and caramel sauce sitting on wooden cake stand.
banana cake slice with salted caramel frosting on top.

So excellent on banana cake.

5 Elements for Salted Caramel Frosting

  1. Butter: That is the bottom of the frosting, and utilizing actual butter on this recipe (not margarine or plant-based) is essential for each taste and texture.
  2. Brown Sugar: You should use gentle or darkish brown sugar, or a mixture of each. (I often do half and half.) Be sure that your brown sugar is recent—it ought to really feel gentle and moist, not laborious or clumpy. If utilizing all gentle brown sugar, your frosting might be lighter in colour than these pictures.
  3. Heavy Cream/Milk, Divided: Heavy cream works greatest on this recipe, however you need to use complete milk or half-and-half if that’s what you’ve got as an alternative. Nothing lighter or the caramel and/or frosting will separate. I have no idea any nondairy alternate options that work efficiently. For those who’re making a visit to the shop, I strongly encourage you to make use of heavy cream.
  4. Salt: Clearly important to make this salted caramel frosting. I like to recommend common desk salt.
  5. Confectioners’ Sugar: Be sure that to sift the confectioners’ sugar or else your frosting may have lumps. I take advantage of a positive mesh sieve and sift it straight into the marginally cooled salted caramel.
brown sugar, heavy cream, salt, confectioners' sugar, butter, and sieve on marble counter.

Recipe Testing for Constant Success

Right this moment’s recipe has been revealed on my website for a few years now, however I’ve been wanting to transform the directions, as some readers have been reporting issue. It’s extremely essential to me that the recipes I share are straightforward to observe AND work efficiently. And this explicit frosting recipe was proving to be a bit… temperamental.

My assistant and I started retesting the unique recipe. Frustratingly, the batches saved yielding totally different outcomes. Then we started altering small variables. One batch was too laborious, one other too grainy. Why?

  1. First, we examined utilizing chilly butter vs. room temperature butter.
  2. After which we examined utilizing complete milk as an alternative of cream.
  3. Then we modified the pan.
  4. After which it was darkish brown or gentle brown sugar.

But it surely wasn’t the temperature of the butter. And it doesn’t actually matter in case you use milk or cream (I do choose cream, however the frosting nonetheless works with complete milk). And the pan didn’t make a noticeable distinction, similar with utilizing gentle vs. brown sugar. The issue was merely that we have been overcooking it!

Keep away from This!

The next image exhibits the over-cooked, grainy caramel combination:

over-cooked and grainy brown sugar caramel mixture in pot.

A Sweet Thermometer Guarantees the Greatest Outcomes

The recipe used to name for boiling the caramel sauce for 3 minutes, which is definitely too lengthy for my range. (And the above picture exhibits that.) The caramel ought to boil solely till it reaches a temperature of 230°F (110°C), after which must be faraway from the warmth. On my range, it takes just below 2 minutes, which is a reasonably large distinction.

A sweet thermometer guarantees extra constant outcomes. Your frosting will now not be grainy and your caramel will now not be over- or under-cooked.

Left picture under: The caramel is skinny and clean proper off the range. What a distinction from the picture above! Proper picture under: Right here is the caramel after cooling for 20 minutes.

brown sugar caramel sauce in pot after cooking and shown again after thickening in glass bowl.

Now sift in your confectioners’ sugar and beat in additional heavy cream/milk:

2 step photos showing sifting confectioners' sugar into bowl and finished frosting.

At this level, you need to use the skinny frosting, or wait 20–half-hour for it to thicken right into a pipeable consistency. The longer it sits, the thicker it will get:

salted caramel frosting thickened in glass bowl.

And be certain NOT to over-mix the frosting after it’s carried out. As a result of it’s going to start to separate:

over-worked and separated frosting mixture in glass bowl.

That was a variety of data for you! Right here is every thing damaged down:

6 Success Suggestions for the Greatest Salted Caramel Frosting

  1. Be sure that your stovetop is about to medium warmth, or barely decrease in case your range runs sizzling.
  2. Whisk the butter and brown sugar collectively FIRSTand ensure the 2 are actually mixed. You can begin combining the 2 with a rubber spatula, however change to a whisk (I all the time use a silicone whisk so I don’t scratch my pans) when the butter is almost all melted, to ensure the butter and sugar are actually mixed. In any other case, you would possibly see an oily layer across the edges the place they’re nonetheless a bit separated. As soon as they’re mixed, add the cream and salt.
  3. Use a sweet thermometer for greatest outcomes. The time it takes to achieve 230°F (110°C) might take kind of than 2 minutes, relying in your explicit range and saucepan.
  4. Let the ready frosting sit for 20–half-hour to thicken if you wish to pipe it. It’s going to crust a bit because it sits, which is okaymerely give it a stir while you’re prepared to make use of it.
  5. Don’t over-mix the frosting as a result of it’s going to start to separate. After beating within the sifted confectioners’ sugar and cream, use it instantly or go away it alone to thicken.
  6. If frosting sits for a pair hours, it turns into too laborious to unfold or pipe. If that occurs, scoop it right into a heatproof bowl and set it over a pan of simmering water on the range. Warmth and stir till it thins out. (Or use a double boiler.)

Greatest Piping Tip to Use

The most effective piping tip for this frosting is a spherical tip comparable to Wilton 2A or Wilton #12. For those who pipe this salted caramel frosting with star ideas, it won’t maintain its form as properly, as a result of this frosting is creamy and thinner than buttercream. So I counsel a easy spherical tip.

End your dessert with a drizzle of salted caramel, the sauce model of at this time’s recipe. As a result of every thing is best with further salted caramel.

I promise you’ll by no means run out of excuses to make this salted caramel frosting! Attempt it on these recipes:

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Description

Constituted of simply 5 elements, this salted caramel frosting is fudge-like, wealthy, and buttery. A sweet thermometer and sieve are important. Comply with the step-by-step directions, success ideas listed above, and the video tutorial for greatest outcomes.



  1. Make the caramel: Mix the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium warmth. With a rubber spatula or picket spoon, stir continually because the butter melts. As soon as butter has melted, change to a whisk to ensure the 2 are actually mixed. (In any other case, you would possibly see an oily layer across the edges the place they’re nonetheless a bit separated; you don’t want that.)
  2. As soon as melted butter and brown sugar are mixed, add 3 Tablespoons of heavy cream and the salt. Whisk to mix, then cease whisking and fasten a sweet thermometer to your pan, ensuring the bulb shouldn’t be touching the underside of the pan (as you’ll get an inaccurate studying).
  3. Let the caramel boil, giving it a fast whisk each 30 seconds or so, till the temperature reaches 230°F (110°C). On my range, it takes just below 2 minutes.
  4. Take away the saucepan from warmth, give it one other fast whisk, and let cool for a minute. Fastidiously switch the salted caramel to a heat-proof mixing bowl set on a cooling rack and funky for simply 20 minutes earlier than persevering with. The caramel sauce thickens throughout this time.
  5. End the frosting: Sift in confectioners’ sugar and add remaining 2 Tablespoons of heavy cream. With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat on medium-low pace till the elements are included. Flip mixer as much as excessive pace and beat for 1 minute. If frosting could be very thick, beat in 1 extra Tablespoon of heavy cream. Keep away from over-mixing or the frosting will start to “break” and separate.
  6. Use it instantly as a skinny glaze or icing, or let it sit and thicken. It’s going to crust a bit because it sits, which is okay—merely give it a stir while you’re prepared to make use of it. If you wish to pipe this frosting, let it sit for not less than 20–half-hour earlier than filling your piping bag, to present it an opportunity to thicken as much as a pipeable consistency.
  7. Frost cake or cupcakes and garnish with a drizzle of salted caramel sauce, if desired.

Notes

  1. Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Sweet Thermometer | Handheld or Stand Mixer | Silicone Whisk | Glass Mixing BowlsPiping BagWilton 2A or Wilton #12 piping tip
  2. Amount: This recipe is sufficient to frost 12–16 cupcakes or one 9×13-quarter sheet cake. 1.5x the recipe for extra cupcakes or a double layer cake. (Doubling the recipe can be far an excessive amount of.)
  3. Heavy Cream: Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream works greatest on this recipe, however you need to use complete milk or half-and-half if that’s what you’ve got as an alternative. Nothing lighter or the caramel and/or frosting will separate. I have no idea any nondairy alternate options that work efficiently. I strongly encourage you to make use of heavy cream.
  4. Piping Tip: The most effective piping tip for this frosting is a spherical tip comparable to Wilton 2A or Wilton #12. For those who pipe this salted caramel frosting with star ideas, it won’t maintain its form as properly, as a result of the frosting is creamy and thinner than buttercream. So I like to recommend a easy spherical tip.

Key phrases: salted caramel frosting

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